


Book One: Korra

by fall_into_life



Series: Avatar: Bonds [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon, everything gets awful later, these two fucking dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 07:01:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3372164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fall_into_life/pseuds/fall_into_life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra builds a family for herself. The Earth Nation tears itself apart. An Avatar's work is never done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Despite all indications to the contrary, this book will be mostly Asami POV, with some Mako later on. Tags, pairings, and characters will be added as they become relevant.

They step into the portal, and it feels so right, so natural to turn to Korra. Their eyes meet. Asami realizes Korra's turned to her as well, and she can't help the slow, fond smile that spreads over her face. The portal flashes around them, transporting them, and Asami's last thought in the physical world is, _'finally'_.

[*]

The spirit world fades in around them, and Asami blinks twice, shakes her head, looks down at Korra. Korra smiles, blushes, but doesn't look away. She leans up, Asami leans down--

\--"Avatar Korra?" Comes a small, reedy voice.

The moment is, if not ruined, at least delayed. Asami can't be mad, though she wants to be. She's lived with spirits for the past three years, knows how some of them are; some social rules just don't translate, and there's no use getting upset about it.

Korra pulls back, and there's an apology in her eyes. Asami gives her a faint smile back, just enough to let her know she isn't mad, and Korra looks to the small spirit.

"Yes?" Somehow, Korra's patience doesn't sound strained, even though she's still oriented toward Asami, though her hands stay on hers.

"Is something wrong?" The spirit asks curiously, without the kind of anxiety Asami would expect from that kind of question.

Korra smiles reassuringly, and drops one of Asami's hands when more spirits start to show up and it becomes apparent they'll have to resume their moment later. (She keeps the other one. Asami's in no hurry to take it back.) "No, everything's fine. Is something wrong here?"

"No," the spirit says, slow and meandering, "but you usually only come when the humans are in trouble."

Korra laughs. "No, we're just here to visit."

"Oh," the spirit nods, drawing out the word. It tilts its head at Asami. "Who is this?"

A slight blush forms on Korra's cheeks. "This is my--" she interrupts herself with a cough. "--Asami."

"Your Asami," the spirit repeats, nodding seriously. Korra opens her mouth with a small sound, but no words comes out. Asami hides a giggle behind her free hand.

Another spirit ventures closer. "What's Avatar Korra doing here?"

"She's visiting, like Aang used to!" The first spirit tells the second, voice brightening. "And she brought her Asami!"

The second spirit bobs. "Hello, Avatar Korra's Asami."

Asami doesn't hide her giggle this time. Their moment from earlier can wait; the blush on Korra's cheeks is too adorable to let go any time soon. "Hello."

Their first day in the Spirit World almost starts with a kiss, definitely ends in a tree, and along the way, Asami sees more spirit marvels than most people will see in a lifetime.

"Korra," Asami murmurs, once they're set up in the tree - literally inside it; Korra closes up the entrance with some earth and it's actually pretty cozy inside the trunk - and they're alone.

Korra looks up from where she's setting up their sleeping bags, and her attentiveness is so adorable that Asami wants to kiss her right then and there.

"About earlier..." Asami turns away from the knot on which she'd been hanging their backpacks, walking toward Korra slowly, as if she's a wild animal Asami doesn't want to startle.

(And in a way, she is. As time goes by, she has more and more spirit to her, and spirits are more like animals than they'll ever admit.)

"Oh." Korra sits back on her haunches, hands folded in her lap. She looks down and to the side, at a spot somewhere on their sleeping bags. "You mean about when we walked into the portal."

"Yes." Asami sits across from Korra, on her own sleeping bag. There's something not quite right about the way Korra avoids her eyes, but she dares to reach out and cover Korra's hand with her own.

"You don't have to let me down easy, you know," Korra turns farther away, pulls her hand out from under Asami's. "You don't like girls, or maybe just not me, I get it." Asami opens her mouth to correct her, but Korra bulls right on through. "It's just-- you're amazing, and smart, and so pretty! A-And when we entered the portal, it felt like you liked me too, so--!"

Asami lifts her hands to cup her cheeks, smiling. "Sweetheart." The word slips out without Asami's permission, but she doesn't take it back. "I like girls, _and_ you."

Korra blinks in confusion, her hands coming up to wrap around Asami's forearms. "But you didn't-- I mean, we were together all day and you didn't try to--!"

Asami chuckles, smile growing wider. "There were spirits everywhere."

It's Korra's turn to laugh, and she shakes her head just a bit inside Asami's hands. "The little ones don't care about stuff like that." A beat, then, "but... you wanted to kiss me?"

"I still do." Asami says honestly, watching Korra's eyes flick between her eyes and her mouth. "Can I?"

"Yes," Korra blurts her answer out almost before Asami's done asking. She blushes at her own forwardness, but licks her lips, eyes darting back down to Asami's eyes, and Asami can't do anything but kiss her.

Korra moans into her mouth, and, oh, _that's_ not a reaction Asami thought she'd have to their first kiss. She didn't think their first kiss would turn into their first makeout, either, but Korra opens her mouth underneath Asami's. Asami dares to venture forward, and, well. They kiss.

When Asami has her next coherent thought, they've fitted themselves into the space between their sleeping bags. Korra's arms are around her neck, Asami's hands are curled around her hips, and her lips are swollen in a way she'd almost forgotten they could be.

They pant together, catching up on breath stolen, and Asami can't help but laugh when she remembers earlier, when they almost did this. Korra pulls back just a little, tilting her head, and Asami shakes her head.

"So. I'm 'Avatar Korra's Asami', am I?" She smirks, and Korra blushes, ducking her head.

"I mean, unless there's something else you'd rather be?" Korra's far too adorable and hopeful for Asami's battered self-control, and she pulls away with a coy laugh before she can kiss Korra again and their clothes can join the sleeping bags on the ground.

"I guess you'll find out, mm?" Asami winks, Korra sputters, and they settle down for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Asami wakes first - she's used to rising with the dawn, while Korra will sleep until the sun forces her to wake if she's left alone - and spends an indulgent moment just watching Korra sleep. They didn't quite end up cuddling, but they oriented toward one another in sleep, and Korra's hand is in the gap between them, reaching out for her. 

Asami's not sure if it's too soon, too much for whatever it is they're working toward, but she slowly, slowly moves one hand toward Korra. She strokes the other woman's face, gently, waking her up little by little.

Korra stirs, stretching one arm over her head and rubbing her eye with the other hand. She moves to curl back up, but spots Asami out of one half-closed eye, and stops short.

"Mm," Korra rolls over on her stomach, arms coming in under herself. "Morning."

"Morning." Asami can't help but smile; Korra smiles in return, then shuffles over and burrows her face into Asami's knee. "Ready for another day in the Spirit World?"

"Don' wanna get up yet," Korra mumbles into the fabric of Asami's sleeping bag.

"C'mon, sweetheart," Asami urges, though she cards her fingers through Korra's hair rather than make any move toward actually getting up.

"Like it when you call me that." More half-awake mumbling, and it seems that not-awake Korra is overshare Korra, because Asami can't see her admitting to that while awake.

A hum rumbles to life in Asami's throat, and when Korra turns into her touch, she decides getting up can wait a bit.

[*]

They wander. Neither of them really know where they're going-- Korra's helpless with navigating anything but Southern Water Tribe waters, Asami knows Republic City like the back of her hand but doesn't know a thing about the rest of the world, and neither of them really know anything about the Spirit World's geography. Asami suspects the Spirit World guides them where it wants them, Korra just shrugs and says that they _did_ come here for a vacation, and spirits titter at them from the branches.

"Things are so much calmer here than I would have thought," Asami remarks, craning her head backward to take in the forest, "from the way you guys told Spirit World stories, I expected we'd be having at least one fight for our life per day."

She means it teasingly, but Korra seems to take her seriously, shrugging. "It's not usually bad. The spirits reflect emotions, that's all. Mostly mine, since I'm the Avatar."

A smile curls Asami's mouth, as she wonders what they were reflecting last night. Aloud, she asks, "and since you're relaxed, so are they?"

Korra blushes and pulls at one lock of her hair. "Yeah, pretty much."

She's so adorable that Asami has to kiss her. One kiss turns into two, then three, and Korra must be right about the little spirits not caring, because they trade kisses for far longer than Asami intended, and all that happens is that the world seems a little warmer when they break.

"Last night, you said," Korra takes a deep breath, and Asami _feels_ her heat ratchet up when she realizes she's the one who took her breath away, "something about girls?"

Asami chuckles, and takes Korra's hand, leading her down the not-path. "Mmhmm."

"So, have you...?" Korra pursues the subject with the same dogged determination she approaches life, and Asami smiles.

"Been with a woman before?" Asami asks, and Korra nods. "Yes."

"Been with like dated, or been with like..." A pause, and Asami can feel Korra gathering her courage. "...like had sex with?"

Asami colors, but manages to answer the question without letting her voice shake. "Both. I had a few girlfriends before I met you guys and..." She shrugs, tries to sound nonchalant. "One while you were gone."

"What happened?” Korra asks, looking up at her with curious eyes.

"She..." Asami's words stall out, because how do you explain that after being with Team Avatar, other people feel washed-out, dull? There's this _life_ to all of them that most people just can't match. The girl had been pretty, funny, business-minded, and everything that Asami would have wanted in someone before hooking up with Team Avatar. After being with them, though....

"She wasn't who I was thinking about when I was alone," Asami says instead, which isn't the entire reason, but it's true.

Asami expects a blush. What she gets is a full-face smile that literally lights up the world around them, and Korra in her arms, which turns into Korra kissing her breathless. It's different than before, less desire running underneath but so much warmth and happiness. Asami wonders dazedly how Mako could have let her go if she ever kissed him like this.

"C'mon," Korra beams, taking Asami's hand and tugging her along. "We've got exploring to do!"

[*]

There's exploring, and kissing, and quite a lot of getting pleasantly lost, and Asami can't remember the last time she was so happy. They're moving on instinct here, losing track of time (she _thinks_ it's been two weeks?) and relaxing into each other and the spirit world, and it's fantastic.

"Tomorrow," Korra bounces, creating an earth shelter for them to sleep in for the night, "I've got someone I want you to meet."

"Oh?" Asami's the one arranging their sleeping bags this time, and she deliberately places them closer than they’ve been so far.

"Yeah!" Korra grins. "It's a surprise, though. My lips are sealed!"

Asami pulls her in for a laughing, smiling kiss, and that conversation is effectively over.

When they break, something hits Asami. She tilts her head, pursing her lips. "Korra?"

"Hmm?" Korra lays out their backpacks, stripping out of her first layer of clothing. (Asami has no idea how she blushes at the _idea_ of kissing her, but can strip in front of her like it's nothing.)

"Have you ever... been with anyone?" It's half a ludicrous idea - Korra's the Avatar; most of the world sees her as a sacred blend of spiritual and human - and half something Asami can't believe she never thought of before. Korra's so open, so physical, so free with her affections, that Asami thinks she'll actually be more surprised if Korra says no.

"Um," Korra blushes a bit, biting her lip. "Yes? I mean, I was kind of isolated, but not _that_ bad. There were other Southern Water Tribe people there sometimes, and not all of the White Lotus were old and stuffy."

"A woman?" Asami almost feels like she should be jealous, but she's not. It's not some mystery South Water Tribe person Korra's here with, it's Asami, and whoever it was, they didn't follow Korra to Republic City, or show up any time in the years following.

"One girl," Korra shrugs, the blush fading. "And a guy, kind of. We didn't really..." She waves her hand. "Because me getting pregnant would be a _really_ big deal."

Asami doesn't say that there are _ways_ for that, because she doubts that those ways have made it all the way down to the Southern Water Tribe, and they're not 100% effective, anyway. (She does debate saying that since Korra's a healer, couldn't she have done something about that, but somehow she doubts Korra's become quite _that_ modern since coming to Republic City.)

"No one in Republic City?" Now this, Asami will be surprised if Korra says yes to.

"No, I didn't really have time before I got into pro-bending, and then there was Mako, and..." _and then I got hurt,_ Korra doesn't say, and Asami watches Korra forcibly banish the shadow the implication brings to her face. "...and now you?"

Asami smiles reassuringly. "And now me."

[*]

Asami wakes to the sound of... something. She's not quite sure what it is, actually, but the sound of Korra's pained breathing underlays it, and Asami realizes she's not in the sleeping bag next to her.

Venturing outside the earthen hut reveals Korra in a metalbending stance, passing her right hand over her left arm. Asami watches, stuck between guilty-curious and worried she'll mess something up if she interrupts. Something silvery slithers out of Korra's pores and over to her right hand. It clumps together in an irregularly-shaped little ball, and Korra reaches into one of her pockets for another ball the same color. They meld together under Korra's intense gaze, and she puts the ball back in her pocket.

"Korra," Asami says quietly, just after Korra pulls a length of water out of the waterskin at her back.

Korra's head snaps toward Asami, face guilty and eyes stricken. The water drops, and Korra sweeps it up and back into her waterskin.

"What was that?" Asami asks, but she knows.

"In the swamp, Toph told me that I still had some of the metal poison in my body," Korra says, quiet and subdued, "I pulled out a lot of it then, but I've been finding bits of it ever since."

Asami's eyes widen. "I thought the Beifongs were some of the best metalbenders in the world!"

"They are, but Toph says they still didn't pick it up very well," Korra gives a brief, wry smile. "I guess I had to learn it myself to do it for myself."

There's a few moments of silence between them, as Asami turns something over in her head and Korra watches her.

"Do you think still having these pieces of poison in you is what made you see those visions of yourself?" Asami asks quietly.

Korra's sad smile tells Asami she sees the easy out, and leaves it right where it is. (Asami's already huge respect for her jumps another notch.) "No, I think that was just me."

There's another silence between them, but this one is more comfortable. Asami breaks it by craning her head upward, looking around at the darkness around them. "Come back to bed. It's not dawn yet."

Korra reaches out, and Asami catches her hand and leads her back into the earth shelter.

(They cuddle that night. Asami tugs Korra closer, Korra pulls Asami's arm over her torso, and they both shiver when Asami's lips touch the back of Korra's neck. In the night, they press closer and closer until one fits into the cracks of the other, and Asami sleeps better on the ground of their shelter than she ever has in any expensive bed she's ever owned.)

[*]

In the morning, there's a bit of awkwardness where Korra smiles and Asami blushes just a bit, and they bathe and clothe themselves in silence that doesn't quite fit.

Then, Korra tugs on her hand, and grins, "c'mon!"

Asami allows herself to be led, laughing. "I thought you didn't know where anything is here?"

Korra shrugs, brushing aside a fern. "I don't have to know where he is, I just have to want to see him."

That... doesn't make any sense, but Asami trusts Korra, and when they emerge into a clearing with a full table and a man she recognizes from books, Asami is reminded again that the Spirit World doesn't care what makes sense in the physical world.

"Korra!" Iroh greets Korra with a smile, rising from the table. He turns his smile on Asami, and this man is either very good, or part of the very small part of the population that the very good try to mimic, because he’s just as warm for Asami as he just was for Korra. "And I see you brought a guest."

Korra grins, and Asami can't help but smile with her. She's been seeing a lot of shy Korra since they got to the Spirit World, and while that's cute and all, she also loves the Korra that's fearless and personable.

(Loves? Asami files the thought away for later.)

"Yeah, we're here on vacation," Korra looks to Asami with soft eyes, swinging their hands a little. "This is Asami."

"Hello, Asami," Iroh bows, and though he must know she knows who he is, he completes the introduction, "I am Iroh. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm honored," Asami says honestly, and she bows in return, because it feels right to.

"Come, come! We were just starting our afternoon tea." Iroh turns toward the table, beckoning them on.

The table was definitely full when Asami saw it at first, but it's somehow gotten another two seats, and Asami reminds herself again that the Spirit World ignores the impossible.

In the timeless time it takes to have a proper tea, Asami learns more about spirits than she learned in the rest of their wandering. 

She learns that the 'little ones', as Korra calls them, neither have nor want names, that they're like a mix of small children and small animals: mostly oblivious, and inclined to treat others the exact way they're treated. (Also, skittish.)

She learns that every spirit can sense who Korra is upon seeing her, though some of the larger ones - the ones with names - call her Aang every so often. She supposes that since they know who she is because of a sixth sense, which is also how they knew Aang, they're entitled to a few mixups, despite Aang and Korra being very different people.

She learns that people like Iroh, people whose spirits hold together in the Spirit World after their deaths, are very rare, but it's more likely to happen with very spiritual people.

(Asami figures that her chances are about zero.)

She learns--

"I can't connect with any of my past lives, now," Korra admits, and something about the Spirit World must be getting to her, because Asami can't see her admitting to that sort of weakness in front of a bunch of strangers in the physical world.

"Oh?" Iroh lifts a cup of eternally-warm tea to his lips. "Why is that, Korra?"

"When Raava was destroyed--" Korra stops mid-sentence, frowning down at the table. No one interrupts her thoughts. "I-- Raava?"

There's another silence, broken only by the occasional sound of a cup being set back down on a saucer. Even the spirits, who can't possibly know how important this is to Korra, don't break the moment.

Korra looks up from the table, a dawning realization in her eyes. "Raava... Raava says now that I can feel her again, I can talk to my past lives through her!"

Iroh smiles wide, putting down his cup. "That is wonderful news!"

Korra turns to Asami with tears brimming in her eyes, and maybe Asami shouldn't kiss her in front of all these spirits they've just met, but it feels like one of those kinds of moments, so she does. It doesn't last long - they _are_ still in front of people, moment or not - but Korra's lips press joyfully against hers, Asami laughs into her mouth, and everything is perfect.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a great many fandom nods in this work. I apologize for nothing.

"You should return to the physical world soon," Iroh confides after they say their goodbyes, "it feels as though you'll be needed."

Korra rubs the back of her head. "Someone always needs the Avatar...."

Iroh's gaze drifts to Asami. "No, both of you will be needed."

They both look to him in surprise, and Iroh chuckles. "Republic City has suffered a very large loss, and a very large change. They will need the Avatar to guide them in how to cope with the Spirit Portal," his eyes twinkle, "and her Asami to guide them in how to rebuild."

Korra goes a bright pink, and Asami laughs. Somehow, she's not even surprised he knows about that.

Iroh coaxes Korra into a hug, says farewell with a smile for Asami, and the two of them leave in the vague direction of the portal that leads to Republic City.

Sure enough, because they _want_ to get to the spirit portal, it comes into view not long after they leave. Asami moves to enter it, but Korra tugs her backward.

"Before we go, I want to do something," Korra says, and there's a familiar determination in her eyes.

"What--" Asami starts, but is cut off by Korra's mouth on hers, Korra's hips pushing her backward against a tree, and Korra, Korra, Korra.

She registers somewhere in her mind that her back has hit the tree. It's quickly drowned out by Korra's weight against her, by Korra's tongue licking into her mouth. In her surprise, she accidentally grabs a lock of Korra's hair and pulls rather harder than she'd ever planned to. Korra shudders against her, rolling her body into Asami's, and _oh_.

Maybe they should stop and talk about this, but Asami's a little far gone for that thought to even complete itself. She instead pulls on Korra's hair again, making the other woman fit even closer to her, sliding a leg between Asami's. She gasps, head thrown back against the trunk of the tree, and Korra pushes her leg up again, mouth descending on Asami's neck.

It only takes one, two more thrusts of Korra's leg before Asami sees white, clutches at Korra's back. She babbles something she won't remember later as her body goes stiff, then collapses against the tree, panting.

Korra peeks up at her, suddenly sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to--" She starts to move away, and Asami grabs for her belt, pulling her back.

"Don't apologize," Asami manages, dipping her head to kiss Korra. It's a little clumsy - Asami's not entirely recovered, not yet - but Korra relaxes against her anyway.

"I did just mean to kiss you," Korra mutters, tucking her head underneath Asami's chin. "Just figured I should, since you kissed _me_ all those other times."

Asami laughs breathlessly. "I'm glad you did."

[*]

They make it back to the physical world a little more ruffled than they left, much more relaxed, and with more questions in Asami's mind.

What's gone on in Republic City while they were gone? What have their friends gotten up to?

(What do they call this new thing they got themselves into in the Spirit World?)

There's a guard posted at the top of the hill, and Asami sees that they've built a fence around the portal. Korra frowns when she sees it, and approaches the guard.

"Did something happen?" She asks. Asami expects her to let go of Asami's hand at this point, but she doesn't.

"No," the guard says gruffly, not even glancing at their intertwined fingers, "Chief said to fence it off until you could tell people if it was safe or not."

Korra hums, not quite satisfied, but (apparently) willing to let it go for now. "C'mon. I want a bath before anyone realizes we're back."

Asami chuckles. "A bath, hmm?"

"Yeah?" Korra catches the smirk on Asami's face, flushes, and pulls her along. Asami laughs, and the two of them head toward Asami's mansion.

[*]

The guards at the mansion don't bat an eyelash, welcoming them back as if they were only gone for a day. Asami's butler is much the same, asking only, "will Avatar Korra be needing a room for the night?"

Asami turns to Korra, head cocked. "You're welcome, if you wouldn't rather go back to Air Temple Island."

Korra shakes her head. "I'll stay here, if you don't mind."

Asami doesn't mind at all, and the two of them separate to bathe.

A good soak is exactly what Asami needs, both to clear her head and completely clean her body. Water in the Spirit World doesn't really get the job done, and of course she left her products here when they left. She makes a moment out of it, applying her full makeup even though she doesn't plan on going anywhere, and carefully working in her leave-in conditioner.

A knock comes, and Asami calls out, "come in!"

The door opens, and Korra wanders in, stopping at the doorway. "Woah."

"Woah?" Asami flips her hair over her shoulder, leans back in her chair.

"I forgot how different you look with makeup on," Korra admits, moving forward to stand in front of Asami's chair. She reaches out, then stops herself, biting her lip.

Asami watches her, shifting a little in her chair. She arches her back just so, shakes her hair a bit, turns an intense gaze on the woman she just returned from the Spirit World with.

(She knows what she's doing. She'd have to turn Korra down if she tried to take her up on the invitation, but she _wants_ , and wants Korra to know it.)

"Is it a bad different?" Asami drops her voice to a murmur. It's not quite the husk she'd use if she wanted Korra in bed _right now_ \- she likes that thought: Korra in her bed - but it's lower, more sensual.

"No," Korra whispers in return, lifting her arm again to trace fingers over Asami's cheekbones. "I'll like you however you want to look."

And oh, that's not fair, Korra touching her like that and being sweet at the same time. It makes Asami want to draw her clothes off one piece at a time instead of ripping them off, to make love to her, take her time with it. She doesn't think they're ready for it - yet, a piece of her mind supplies - but she can pull Korra down for a kiss, and she does.

They kiss slow and sweet, deep, tender in a way Asami's not sure what to do with. She knows the girls before (and Mako) cared for her, but not like this. Korra doesn't know how to hold back in anything, and this is no exception. Asami's used to being guarded with her lovers, but what would Korra want with Future Industries' secrets, or Asami's money?

So, she lets go. She pulls Korra down into her lap, runs fingers through her hair, leans into the other woman's touch without feeling self-conscious. She stops thinking.

They end up on Asami's bed, tangled together, hands wandering through hair, over necks, gliding over shoulders and waists. One steals a kiss, the other steals it back. Asami doesn't know when they stop kissing and fall asleep, but she wakes with her hand on the small of Korra's back, and Korra's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and reflects that she could get used to this.

[*]

The next day, life intrudes.

Future Industries needs her input on several things she delayed in order to go into the Spirit World, people need to hear from Korra about the new portal, and other small things steal time away.

It snowballs, until Asami realizes it's been three days and she hasn't seen Korra at all. 

She straightens herself up from where she'd been bent over her drafting desk, throws on her coat, and heads for the garage. (She ignores the faint cry of conscience that insists she should _at least_ finish the sketch she was working on.)

The Air Temple acolytes tell Asami that Korra's in the back practicing - metalbending, they speculate, and Asami hopes that doesn't mean Korra's pulling more pieces of poison-iron out of herself - and Asami heads over with purpose in her step.

Sure enough, Korra is manipulating a long sheet of metal - not one colored the sickly silver of the poison-iron, thankfully - and Asami calls out to her. "Korra!"

Korra turns around, and her eyes light up. The metal drops. "Asami!"

Korra takes off toward her at a run, and Asami braces herself, smiling wide. Korra tackles her, pressing lips tight to Asami's, wrapping herself around her.

"Woah." A voice from behind Asami breaks them apart, both blushing bright red.

Mako looks from one to the other of them, wide-eyed. "I..." He draws out the word, looking a little red-faced himself. "I just came by to see if Bolin was here, but uh. That explains a lot.” He rubs the back of his head, turning to look at a nearby arch. “How long have you guys been dating?"

Asami clears her throat, Korra stutters, and Mako holds up his hands. "I'm... just gonna go. I'll see you later?"

Mako runs for it before either of them can answer.

Their eyes meet as he disappears around the side of the temple, and they both break into laughter, because it's just that kind of moment.

"Did you see his face when he realized we were kissing?" Korra laughs, bent over with hands on her knees.

"He's not going to be able to look either of us in the eye for a while," Asami giggles, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.

They slowly sober up, and Asami purses her lips speculatively. "What do you think he meant by 'that explains a lot'?"

Korra shakes her head. "I don't know. Maybe just that we were already getting close before we went on vacation?"

Asami hums noncommittally, because she has no proof that Korra's wrong, but the answer doesn't feel right. Something else is there, and she'll find out eventually. In the meantime, Asami strokes light fingers across Korra’s jaw. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go so long without coming to see you; I just lost track of time."

Korra turns her head to kiss Asami's palm. "It's alright, I could have come to see you, too."

"Come to the mansion tonight?" Asami offers, impulsive but sincere. "We can..." she waves a hand, meaning whatever Korra wants, really.

Korra smiles, nodding. "Yeah, that sounds really good."

[*]

Asami stares at the ceiling, blowing out air in frustration. She'd slept the sleep of the exhausted in the days she hadn't seen Korra, but now that she hasn't tired herself out, and she knows Korra is in the same building, she just can't sleep. She keeps thinking about how warm Korra is, how good she smells….

A soft knock on the door interrupts her thoughts. Asami swings her legs over the bed, grabbing her robe and calling, "come in!"

Korra wanders in, sheepish but looking hopeful. "I couldn't sleep."

A smile breaks out on Asami's face, and she hangs the robe back up. "Come here."

Korra slides into bed with her, and the two of them move closer together, meeting in the middle with a sigh.

"I couldn't sleep, either," Asami admits, slipping a hand in under Korra's undershirt to rest on the small of her back.

(Korra shivers. Asami tries very hard to ignore the response this ignites in her.)

"Um, about earlier..." Korra fiddles with the collar to Asami's night-shirt, then looks up at her. "About what Mako said?" Asami hmms in response, and Korra pushes through. " _Are_ we dating?"

"Do you want us to be?" The words come easily, and don't sound anywhere near as self-conscious as Asami would have thought they'd be.

Korra bites her lip. "Yes. I really like you, and--"

Asami cuts her off with a finger pressed to her lips. "So, then, we're dating." (She sounds so much more confident than she actually is.)

There may be a little bit of happy kissing, there's definitely more than a little bit of cuddling, and Asami feels like they may have hit their stride.


	4. Chapter 4

Life goes on. If Asami gets busy and doesn't see Korra for a few days, she shows up at the factory, or her office, and drags her out for dinner, or a cuddle on the couch. If it looks like Korra's being swallowed by what people want from her, Asami steps in and reminds her that she's her own person, and she's owed a little bit of time to herself (or with her girlfriend) every now and then.

Asami resumes her self-defense classes, forcing them to fit in her busy schedule, because she's dating Korra now instead of just being a part of Team Avatar, and there will always be some idiot that thinks they can take on the Avatar and her nonbender girlfriend. Asami plans to be ready with a swift hit and a shock from her glove, and while she knows she's good, she's not quite a master. Yet.

It's a month after their vacation to the Spirit World, and Asami's self-defense master, Ran, approaches her.

"You wanna come to one of the after-hours classes tonight?" Ran offers gruffly, folding her arms over her - surprisingly large - chest.

A slow smile spreads over Asami's face. She loves the after-hours classes. She never knows what Ran's going to teach her; a few years ago, there was one on lockpicking, and last year was detecting counterfeits. She has no idea how Ran manages to find enough people to pay her to run them, but she's glad for it. The lockpicking, at least, has come in handy more than once on Team Avatar business.

"Look, it's... I don't have this one real often," Ran shifts on her feet, and Asami realizes that this woman, street-tough and unflappable, is _uncomfortable_. "Ever since some Equalizers started using the shit, people think of them whenever they see it."

Asami's eyes widen. Chi-blocking? "Why would you offer to teach _me_ that, when I'm dating the Avatar?"

"That's _why_ I'm offering," Ran grunts, rolling one shoulder. "Your woman gets into scary shit, with scary people, most of 'em benders."

There's really no arguing that, and that's how Asami ends up in Ran's gym at midnight, learning the first forms of chi-blocking with a handful of other people. It’s an exacting, difficult discipline; every strike has to hit a certain point on the body, in a specific order, or the whole chain of the block is lost. 

Maybe she shouldn’t take pride in learning it quickly, but she does. It’s not about learning chi-blocking, it’s about accomplishing something useful, about acquiring a weapon no one will expect from the Avatar’s partner.

She just hopes Korra will see it the same way.

[*]

"My teacher offered to teach me chi-blocking," Asami murmurs into Korra's neck, cuddled into the other woman on Asami's bed.

Korra turns her head to look at Asami over her own shoulder. "Isn't that illegal?"

Asami shakes her head. "Attacking someone with it is illegal, but chi-blocking itself is perfectly legal."

"So you can learn it, but can't use it?" Korra asks, baffled.

Asami laughs. "No, you can't _attack_ someone with it. It's perfectly fine for self-defense."

Korra takes a deep breath, and burrows back into Asami. "What did you say?"

"I said yes," Asami says, all humor draining out of her. "You have a lot of enemies, sweetheart."

Korra turns over to face her, fierceness in her eyes. "You shouldn't have to learn stuff like that because of me."

She's right, but: "People shouldn't try to kill you just because you're the Avatar."

Instead of arguing, Korra reaches for Asami and pulls her closer. "I'll protect you."

"I can protect myself," Asami says, raising an eyebrow in warning.

"I know, but," Korra cradles Asami's face in her hands, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Sweetheart," Asami whispers, and she doesn't like to think about this herself, but, "you're probably going to outlive me."

"Katara outlived Aang," Korra counters. She inches closer, probably without realizing she's doing it.

Asami shakes her head. "Aang overused the Avatar state before he mastered it. It wore him out. Avatar Kyoshi lived a lot longer than him, because she didn't."

"I've had all kinds of stuff happen to me that Kyoshi didn't," Korra insists, kissing Asami hard. "She never got captured, or--"

 _'Or poisoned so badly she was in a wheelchair,'_ Korra doesn't say. She moves forward again, kissing Asami with single-minded focus that sets her blood boiling even though she knows she should probably push Korra about this. But she lets Korra kiss her, lets Korra roll on top of her and suck on her bottom lip, because she doesn't really want to think about it either.

(And if Korra's kisses feel like _'don't leave me'_ , Asami's not going to call her on it.)

Korra wedges her leg in-between Asami's, and scrapes teeth along her collarbone, and maybe Asami likes it when she gets rough and passionate and she takes control. She definitely likes it when Korra moves against her, when thought gives way to sensation, when Korra whispers barely-heard affections into her ear. 

Asami lets Korra bring her first - arches against Korra's leg, grasps at her back through her sleeping shirt - then reaches between Korra's legs, cupping her through her thin sleeping pants. Korra lets out a choked sound, thrusting her hips forward. Asami moves with her, eyes fluttering half-closed when wetness seeps through the cloth, until Korra stiffens above her, mouth open in a silent cry.

Korra slumps down, burying her face in Asami's neck. Asami holds her close, stroking her back, matching their breathing together, and shuts her eyes.

(And if her touches feel like, _'I need you, too'_ , Korra doesn't say a word.)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Korra worries, Asami doesn't, and the story earns the promised E-rating.

"Up for a spar?" Korra bounces on her toes, grinning, as she comes in the door to Asami's office.

"Hello to you, too," Asami attempts to put a little bit of grump in her tone, because she did _not_ know Korra was coming by, but her smile betrays her.

"Hey." Korra hops up to perch on her desk, scattering a few pieces of paper onto the floor, and leans forward for a kiss.

Asami allows the kiss, cupping Korra's chin, but raises an eyebrow when she pulls back. "Korra. I need those sketches."

"Oh! Sorry," Korra sheepishly collects them, handing them back to Asami. "But hey, you didn't answer the question."

"Right now?" Asami asks, gesturing to the pile of paperwork and sketches on her desk.

"You haven't been anywhere but the mansion and your office in days," Korra coaxes, "and we haven't sparred since before we went on vacation."

Asami starts, because there's no way she hasn't been wrapped in work for that long without noticing. "We got dinner on Thursday!"

"And today is...?" Korra tilts her head, bracing her hands on the desk. (She manages not to further muss Asami's desk. Somehow.)

"...Friday?" Asami purses her lips, tries again. "Saturday?"

"Monday," Korra corrects, coming around the side of the desk to take one of Asami's hands and tug on it. "C'mon. Your poor gym is crying from neglect!"

Asami laughs, and kisses the back of Korra's hand. "Alright. Give me..." She surveys the mess that is her desk. "...ten minutes to wrap up here."

Korra pouts a little, but doesn't challenge it, walking over to flop down on Asami's couch.

It ends up taking a little more than ten minutes to wrap everything up, but Asami manages to get out of the office with only a thin folder of papers to review that night. Korra cheers and laces their fingers together, and they head back to the mansion.

[*]

"Rules?" Korra asks, because they both know Asami would lose if Korra went all out.

(Asami's _good_ , but Korra spent a decade of her life doing little other than training; Asami can usually get the better of her if she's limited to just airbending, but any more than that, and she just can't keep up without using the glove and risking actual harm.

She suspects that, if they both went almost-all-out, if Korra used four elements but not the Avatar state, and Asami used her glove and all her dirty tricks, it would be a standstill. Korra's good, but she's not a planner, and Asami knows how Korra fights a lot better than the other way around.)

"No bending, no chi-blocking," Asami says, stretching her arms over her head.

A light goes on in Korra's eyes when Asami mentions chi-blocking, but Asami shakes her head before Korra can insist on it. "I don't know it well enough to use it on you. I don't want to slip and block you for longer than I meant to."

Even Korra's competitive nature can't override the practicality of that, and the two of them take fighting stances.

They stand still, tense, poised, until Korra breaks out into a smile and motions Asami forward. Asami, never one to turn down an advantage, darts forward and drops into a leg sweep. Korra hops backwards, then surges forward with a punch aimed for Asami’s jaw. Asami bares her teeth, knocks Korra’s blow to the side, and the spar begins in earnest.

The nice thing about sparring with a waterbender-healer is that Asami doesn’t have to hold back much. Korra still isn’t a great healer, so Asami can’t risk doing her permanent damage, but she doesn’t have to hold back with her strikes for fear of leaving Korra with a limp or a dislocated arm, like she has to with her other sparring partners.

The awful thing about sparring with a waterbender-healer is that Korra doesn’t have to hold back much, either. Her hand-to-hand is a mess without bending, but she’s strong, fast, and has a combat intuition that’s hard to match. Despite knowing she has the better non-bending training, Asami knows she can’t let it go to a grapple, or Korra will just hold her down by force (Asami has no idea how she’s so _ridiculously strong_ ), and none of Asami’s skill will be able to come into play.

Of course, thinking about a grapple gets Asami thinking about wrestling with Korra and… 

...and maybe that’s not such a bad idea.

Asami doesn’t bother trying to camouflage what she’s doing; she steps forward, throws Korra over her shoulder - she _expects_ to end up pinned by Korra, but she’ll take it the other way if the other woman’s off her game - and doesn’t resist when Korra reverses the throw and grabs her forearms. In the blink of an eye, her hands are up near her head, Korra’s braced to keep her down for the count, and Asami’s smirk is in full force.

“Planning to have your way with me on my own gym floor, Miss Avatar?” Asami asks, breathy and coy.

She expects Korra to blush and stammer, and Asami to have to coax her down for a kiss, but instead she gets: “I’m thinking about it, Miss Sato.”

There’s the hint of a purr in Korra’s voice, and Asami’s mouth goes dry. Maybe she should feel self-conscious, splayed out on the floor with her girlfriend on top of her, but really, she just feels appreciated. Appreciated, and sexy, and a bit impatient.

“So?” Asami asks, moving a little underneath Korra when the other woman shows no signs of doing anything other than checking her out.

“Rushing me?” Korra chuckles, raising an eyebrow. She shifts so she’s got both of Asami’s wrists pinned under one hand, reaching down with the other to rest on Asami’s hip.

“Maybe I just want you.” The words come out of Asami’s mouth before she can think to keep them to herself, and Korra’s eyes darken.

“What…” Korra’s voice gives out, and she licks her lips, strokes her thumb along the hollow of Asami’s hip. “What do you want from me?”

The question is really, _’do you want to do this on your gym floor?’_ , or _’how do you want me to touch you?_ , or even, _’are you sure?’_. Part of Asami is deeply appreciative that Korra’s making sure, that she’s trying to respect Asami’s boundaries, but the rest of her wants Korra to just start touching her.

Asami locks eyes with Korra, dropping her voice into her best sultry purr. “I want you to destroy me.”

Korra sucks in a breath, and Asami watches her teeth come down on her bottom lip. To her credit, she doesn’t question her, just moves her hand up from Asami’s hip to start unbuttoning her coat. She goes slow, taking her time, until Asami breathes out, “ _please_ ,” and Korra lets Asami’s hands go, reaches up, and rips her coat off, buttons scattering across the floor.

Asami sits up, bracing herself on her hands. “Korra….” She doesn’t want to push, but she knows her face is flushed, eyes dark, her coat is hanging half off of her shoulders. She can feel a pulsing heat between her legs, feel her heartbeat quick and strong in her chest. 

Korra looks like she wants to apologize, but at the same time doesn’t. She takes a deep breath. “Please don’t tell me to stop now.” The words look like they’re ripped from her. She’s trembling, but there’s no fear in her eyes, and Asami pulls her forward and--

\--and Korra destroys her. Their lips meet, crash together, bodies flush against one another and heat building. Korra digs nails into Asami’s back, sinks teeth into her neck, pulls off her clothing like she’ll die if she can’t touch skin. Asami knows she’s going to have bruises in the morning, that at any second someone could wander in looking for her, but she doesn’t care, can’t care because Korra is inside her and--

\--and Asami comes apart.

[*]

Through the haze, Asami becomes vaguely aware of Korra picking her up, wrapping her in her coat, and carrying her… somewhere. Asami’s not really coherent enough to piece together where, but she forces herself to focus when she hears Korra whispering something that doesn’t sound like the kind of affectionate babble she’s used to.

“Sorry… so sorry, Asami…” Korra sounds like she’s on her way to a freakout, and Asami opens her eyes to see Korra looking down at her, worried and guilty.

“Sweetheart,” Asami murmurs, as Korra sets her down on her bed, “why are you apologizing?”

Korra reaches out toward Asami’s nightstand, gathers up the water in the glass there, and brings it forward. “You’ve got bruises, and you passed out.” The water starts to glow in that waterbender-healing way. “I… I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m so sorry!”

Asami wraps her fingers around Korra’s wrist, stopping her from healing the bruises. “You did exactly what I asked you to do.”

Korra’s protests wane into silence, but she worries her lip with her teeth, and Asami can feel the silent _’but I hurt you,’_ in the air. Asami runs her fingers up Korra’s forearm, until her hand rests on her shoulder.

“I liked it,” Asami says firmly, her other hand pulling Korra down onto the bed with her. “Now, why are you still wearing clothes?”

Korra blinks, stammers. “I-- you still want to--!”

“Yes.” Asami tells her, wrapping her arms around Korra’s neck. She waits, because if Korra’s still freaking out then of _course_ she’ll wait. Her patience is rewarded when Korra takes a deep breath and leans down to kiss her.

Not wanting to spook Korra while she’s still jittery, Asami takes it slow. She opens her mouth under Korra’s, runs her fingers through her hair, pulls her closer bit by bit. Korra relaxes on top of her in increments, until they’re pressed together tight enough to breathe as one.

“Better?” Asami asks, eyes closed. She doesn’t need to see Korra to feel her nod, and her fingers drop down to the bottom of Korra’s sleeveless tank top. “Is this…?”

Korra laughs breathlessly, shaking her head. “You don’t have to ask. I’ll stop you if I need to.” 

Asami’s protectiveness wars with her desire and trust. The latter win out. She takes a deep breath, and slides her hands in under Korra’s shirt. The other woman shivers, and Asami smiles, leaning up for a kiss.

It’s not long before Korra’s shirt joins Asami’s clothes on the floor. Asami draws her fingers along the sleeves on Korra’s forearms, then peels them downward, dropping them over the side of the bed.

It’s here she hesitates. She’s seen Korra’s forearms up close, knows there’s still scar tissue there from the chains, from Korra pulling out pieces of the metal poison. Scars don’t put her off - why would she date benders if they did? - but she’s not sure how Korra will react to her touching them. But Korra said she would stop her if she needed to, so Asami brushes feather-light touches over the scars, purses her lips at the mottled feel of them.

Korra watches her exploration, propped up on her hands above Asami. “I can’t feel much there,” she admits quietly, eyes tracing the path made by Asami’s fingers. She tolerates it for a bit, then shifts restlessly. She bites her lip, then moves her weight to one hand, reaching up for Asami’s hand and moving it to one of her breasts.

Asami raises an eyebrow, but takes the hint, lifting both hands and kneading gently. Korra’s head drops, her body rolling forward in slow waves that match Asami’s tempo.

“I liked touching you earlier, in the gym,” Korra admits. A bolt goes through Asami, starting at the crown of her head and ending between her legs. “It wasn’t--” She exhales, arching her back when Asami rolls one of her nipples between her fingertips. “--wasn’t because of the rough stuff, just… you really seemed to like it.”

“I did,” Asami murmurs, rolling her own body up to hook her knees over Korra’s hips. Another thrill races through her when Korra moves against her, bare stomach sliding against Asami’s center.

“Good,” Korra breathes. Her eyes search Asami’s for a second, then she brings her body forward again, pressing herself into Asami.

They exhale together, move together, Asami pressing her center into Korra, and Korra grinding down and against her. Their rhythm becomes intoxicating, dulling her senses. Asami is vaguely aware that she’s been running her fingers through Korra’s hair, trailing nails down her (very muscular) back. She’s also aware somewhere that Korra’s mouth has been on her neck, pressing kisses to her skin and biting light enough that it’s a spark rather than a bolt that would bring her back to herself.

Korra brings her to another orgasm, this one gentler and less, well, _devastating_. Asami looks up at her, voice wry. “I was trying to do this for you, y’know.”

“I know, I just…” Korra smiles crookedly. “I like doing it for you.”

Asami hooks a leg over Korra’s and flips their positions, straddling the other woman and smirking. “Let me, this time.”

The blue of Korra’s eyes darkens, and she nods, wrapping her arms around Asami’s neck.

Truth be told, Asami’s not at her best on top. It’s not that she’s not confident - she is - or that she’s self-conscious about her body - she’s not - but she prefers the solidity of a surface against her, likes feeling her partner’s weight. She suspects, though, that Korra as a top would keep touching her all night, until she was too exhausted to reciprocate. That’s hardly what she wants - for one thing, she wants to taste Korra - so she’ll just have to make do.

Her fingers drag down Korra’s body, starting at her collarbone and drifting downward. She traces the outline of Korra’s abs, the corner of her mouth quirking.

“What?” Korra breathes, licking her lips.

“I should have known you’d have a six-pack,” Asami smirks at her, lightly scratching the hollows of Korra’s hips.

Korra blushes, and mumbles something. Asami laughs and leans over to kiss her, smiling against her mouth. There’s a brief, warm moment between them. Then Korra shifts beneath her, Asami’s breath catches, and suddenly she’s reminded of her body’s needs.

Korra must be on the same wavelength, because she whispers, “I want you.”

When Asami leans back, Korra is flushed something awful. Still, her hands slide up Asami’s thighs, then rake nails back downward. Asami’s back arches, and her hands involuntarily clench, digging thumbs into Korra’s hips. The other woman gasps, rolls her hips, and Asami does it again.

Time blurs, but at some point Korra ends up as naked as Asami. Asami can’t stop touching her, exploring smooth skin and scars alike. The burns and long thin lines (from metalbenders, maybe?) remind Asami how much of Korra is shaped by violence. Yet, the slow, reverent way Korra kisses reminds her how she refuses to be broken by it.

“I love you,” slips from Asami’s lips before she can stop it.

Korra smiles, braces palms on her back, and pulls her closer until they lay skin-to-skin, pressed together from head-to-toe. “I love you, too.”

Asami exhales, buries her head in Korra’s neck, and presses a soft kiss there. She works her way downward, pausing at Korra’s chest to take a nipple into her mouth. Korra writhes, fingers working their way into Asami’s hair. Asami chuckles, using the barest hint of her teeth, and feels a bolt go through her when Korra makes a soft noise.

“You like that?” Asami chuckles again when Korra nods, worries Korra’s nipple between her teeth and basks in the moan she gets. It’s heady, feeling Korra move underneath her, knowing Asami’s the reason for the heat she can feel where their skin touches. Still, she wants more, so she moves downward, kissing a path that leads between Korra’s legs.

“Asami,” Korra whispers. Asami sinks teeth into Korra’s thigh in response, and the other woman gasps, a hand coming down to grip Asami’s hair hard. She lets go as soon as Asami’s teeth do, jerking her hand back. “Sorry!”

Asami looks up, husk in her voice and a smirk on her lips. She drags out the words, tracing fingers down Korra’s stomach with exaggerated slowness. “Who says I didn’t like it?”

Korra squeaks, and Asami giggles a bit in return. She can’t play the seductress role for long, though, as cute as it is to watch Korra fumble. She dips her head, parts her lips, and tastes her girlfriend for the first time.

Maybe it shouldn’t shock her that she likes the way Korra tastes, but it does. Lightning goes all the way down her spine, and she can’t help but moan. Korra makes a small, choked sound in return, and Asami sets herself to making her repeat it, flicking out her tongue in controlled strokes.

Time stretches out, distorts, loses meaning. Asami chases Korra’s reactions, finds this place or that to make her back arch, abandons places that result in silence. Her world shrinks to the singular need to keep going, to bring Korra to orgasm.

She does.

And then she does it again.

She tries for a third time, but Korra pulls her back up with shaking hands and a laughing apology. They cuddle until Korra’s caught her breath, then it’s off to the races again.

(There’s a world outside that wants things from them, but it can’t intrude here.)


End file.
